Leda's Address

4400 Presidential Dr.
Albuquerque, New Mexico
87109

1st Nephi 3:7

And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

About Me

I've been married since 2001 and have four beautiful children that drive me crazy! It's amazing that they are learning so much. I am greatful that we are all healthy. I'm excited to get my new house all fixed up. I am amazed that my mom took care of 9 kids, a house, a husband that got home late every day. She was truly amazing! I love my mom and wish she could have seen the rest of her grandkids, but I guess in a way she is seeing them. Better than we are perhaps.

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Hey everybody! So this week was interesting. We went on exchanges this week, I got to go with my "granddaughter" Sister Horsford who is from New Zealand. Yup, pretty much. :) Haha! So anyway, we stopped by the Martinez' (who have been around me my whole mission) to see how they were doing. And our investigator Tim was there! I was so happy! We talked for about 45 minutes, and we totally connected. It was so great! We talked about our pasts and stuff, it was just really good. During our conversation he started crying, and went in the house to get his sunglasses, while he was gone, one of his friends came over to the house and started talking to us. He said his name was Cisco, but don't call him that because if we do, then guns will start popping out. He said that he killed people and burned down houses and who knows what else. He said to call him Toast. So anyway, we talked a little but more and set up an appt to go see him. Well, after we finished talking to Tim we left, and I just got this bad feeling not to go see Toast. So we called the ward mission leader, and he said not to go. So we didn't. But we told the Martinez' son to invite him over to the house so we can teach him there. So anyway. I hope it works out. He really does need a change in his life.

Anyway! I will see if I can send pictures of Tim. Anyway! I will see you all next week!

Saturday, June 25, 2011

YAY!!!!!!! I SOOOO want to be there for their court of honor! I was so worried that I wouldn't be there. I hope it's before I go to CA! Man, that seems like forever away, but after I get home, it's only like 2 weeks. So it's really not that bad. So I have to talk on July 17 about how the gospel changed the lives of those I taught on my mission. I have a few ideas, but I really haven't seen to much change in that way. I get moved around way to much on my mission to actually see the results. OH! I forgot to mention in my family letter that I got a letter from a man in Gallup who we tracted into, they were actually being taught by missionaries in Colorado, so they let us in right away. We had dinner with them once and we had some really good discussions and stuff with them. They are baptist, and are very active in their church, but they are willing to listen. I think it's because they recognize the spirit and truth. So it was really cool teaching them. I had actually forgotten their last name, but I remembered the wifes name because it's cool, it's Leisl. :) So anyway, I got this letter and all it had was their last name on the envelope, and for the life of me I couldn't remember who that was! And so I opened it, and it was them! So he was telling me that he was praying the other night and I came into his mind. I had told them about mom dying and how I have seen God's hand in my life. And it touched him so deeply that he remembered that about me. So he wrote me a letter telling me how much he appreciated that I had shared that experience with his family, and he talked about how I need to finish strong (he calculated that I am leaving soon), and how we have a bond through Jesus Christ and a few more other things. They have not joined the church, but they definitely have a strong testimony of Jesus Christ. It was a really neat letter, and I really needed it right now. I will read it to you when I get home. Anyway! I love you!

Monday, June 20, 2011

Hey everybody! So today I am going to the tram for p-day. It's the thing that takes you up to the top of the mountain. Sister Bode set it up, she wants to hang out with me before I go home. I am so excited to see her again and to talk with her! She is in a 3some with Sister Herzog and Sister Gorringe in Ladera/Ventana Ranch/Volcano Cliffs. Sister Nichols went home, so all of this is hopefully temporary, it's so hard to cover 3 wards! I'm not exactly sure why Sister Nichols went home, all I know is that her grandpa died last month? I hope she is ok. Her 3 handicapped brothers weren't doing so well either when I was with her. So I just hope she is ok. I will probably call her when I get back.

Today is Sister Wilsons birthday, so we are excited to be doing something fun. :) So I told you all about Fred, he is a painter from Chicago, and I asked him to paint me a rock, so I'm excited to see what he is going to paint me. :) He is such a cool guy!

How was your fathers day dad? How was yours Jimmy? Sorry I didn't get you a card, I thought a good enough present was me coming to stay with you guys for the summer. :) Happy Fathers day!

How are the eagle projects going? Brenda, I'm sorry to hear about your uncle, I hope the funeral was lovely. How is your brother? I heard he was out of the hospital, but is he doing ok? Anyway, I'm not sure what else to write, nothing to exciting happened this week.

Hey everybody! How's it all going? What has your week been like so far? Mine has been fun. :) We have an investigator named Tim Archuletta, he's a tatoo artist and is like 32 and has 2 little girls. He is divorced from his wife of 10 years, she was a member, but I think is excommunicated now. But I'm not sure. Anyway! We have been trying to get a hold of him for a bit, but he has been busy, but finally we have been able to see him! :) Yay! He stopped drinking, and is off drugs, but he still smokes. :( But he definitely wants to quit. So anyway, we were teaching him the other day, and we were giving the first lesson. So after the prayer I asked him who he thought we were praying too, he said God. I said, yup, and I asked him who he thought God was. He said he thought of God as a light (like a disco ball?) with all colors and stuff. It was interesting. Bernalillo is very interesting with the way they think. Everyone thinks of God as something different. In a lot of my areas, people think the same way about certain things. But anyway. We talked about that for a little while, and then we gave him the testimony of Joseph Smith to read, and set up an appointment for the next week. So a few days go by and he texted us and said he was going camping and that we would have to reschedule our appointment. :( (I hate that) So we decided to stop by before he left and see how he was doing and give him some spiritual nourishment. So we asked him if he had read his assignment, and he said he read it the same day we taught him!!!!! NO ONE DOES THAT!!!!!! I was blown away! I was very proud of him. :) We talked a little bit and his ex wife had mentioned that we get to create our own worlds one day, and he totally loves that concept. It is way cool because no one likes to hear that. They think we are going to be angels for forever. Anyway. So we gave him Enos to read while he was gone camping. He doesnt' comprehend things to well, but I know that it makes him feel happy. :) I love Tim! He's so cool!

So you all know about Fred, well, Fred teases me a bit about if he was younger he would totally go after me (as in marriage), and he has mentioned going to the temple with me. Haha! So yesterday in class (and I was sitting behind him) we were talking about the Celestial kingdom and the requirements of getting there. One of the requirements is getting sealed. He raised his hand and said that he has a problem because he is not married. We told him that there is a chance in the next life for him to get married. So that made sense to him. And one of the guys said that she could be infront of him or behind him or just around the corner. So Fred turns around and looks at me and was like hmmm....It was soooo funny! I was laughing so hard! Sister Wilson said that I was the reddest shade of red anyone could get. It was so funny! It is totally an inside joke, but everyone was laughing! After class he said it again, that if he could (marry me) he really means it. SOO FUNNY! All the old men love me...It's because I worked at True Value, I know it! Anyway, Fred is a famous painter in Chicago, so I want him to paint a rock for me before I leave. That way I can have something to remember him by.

Anyway! That is my fun week. :) Oh, and we found a centimede (sp?) that was about 4 inches long in our shower last night. Yuk.

Love you all!

Love Sister Stolp

Hey Annie! Don't worry, I'm still on. :) I emailed you guys first. Anyway! Who said I was trunky???? I am not! :) It's just weird to think that I will be able to do whatever I want to do again in 3 weeks. Weird. I will definitely miss the mission though! We have some great people out here that we are teaching. But it's only the old men...that flirt with me...I think. I don't know. I think Tim might be flirting with me, but it's really hard to tell. I try to not give that part attention. But I am very aware of those things so that I can protect myself. We always make sure to have someone with us when we go see him. Anyway! I know he teases me though. Whatever. He's cool.

I can't wait to see the dresses! I bet they look bueno! I will have to remember to have Christy sing for me. What a cute girl! Does Christy have blond or brown hair? I haven't seen a picture of her since you sent me pictures in October...and I think those were taken in the summer...and she was bald I think! You're such a slacker! But I still love you. :)

Well, I am super excited to come and help you with the girls! Yay! I will keep Vanessa in line, and she will love me, and I will love her, and we will be best buds, and she will miss me when I leave, and I will miss her when I leave, but that's ok, because I will call her and she will talk to me, and we will still be the bestest of buds. :) I'm way excited! And if none of the other girls come out then that is ok, I need to spend of quality time with the Stevens family. And I will have time to hang out with the Stolps when I get back. :) it's all good!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Hey everybody! What is new this week? Are you boys officially done with you eagle projects? I want to see pictures of you at your court of honor, and don't forget I want an invitation!!!!! What are you boys going to do when you are done with your projects?

So have you all heard about the fires in Arizona? There are 3 or something like that, and they are all at about the central New Mexico border, so we are getting the smoke from 2 of them here in Bernalillo!!!! It has been crazy! We had ash on our car the other day, it was crazy! I heard about the tornadoes in Massachusetts and California. Weird! I bet you it is definitely the signs of the times. In gospel principles we are at the end of the book, which talks about the last days and stuff, and every Sunday (almost) we joke around about how the world is going to end in October. It's pretty comical. :)

So what have you guys decided for my trip to California? How am I going to get there and when?

So yesterday we were doing member visits, and we dropped by one house with the name of Whipple, (they might be related somehow). Anyway, so the night before Sister Whipple's mom had a masive stroke. It is kind of crazy how throughout my mission I have done that so many times, where we just make plans to do whatever, and it's exactly where and when we need to be. So we were able to provide comfort for Sister Whipple and Sister Wilson (my comp) shared an amazing scripture with her. It's 3 Ne 9:13. Read it. :)

So Annie, here are my suggestions on a name for your baby if it's a girl. Loretta, Amara (am-uh-ra), Mary, Theresa, Megan. I think that is it. I like Bethany I guess, but anyway, there are my suggestions. Do you have any middle names picked out? Hopefully I will be in Ca before the baby is born! That would be sad if your baby was born before I went out there! :( Christy must be HUGE! I can't wait to see her! I can't believe that I only have 4 weeks left! It's crazyness. Anyway! I hope everything is going well for you!

Hey so I just sent a bunch of pictures, sorry it's been a while since I've done that, but I've been always short on time when I email. ANyway! So this week we saw a bobcat outside our door. We live in Placitas where all the hippies used to live, so it's kind of out in the open, and our backyard is like the forest. :) But it was way cool! I like died when I saw it! I wish my camera was better! Oh well. Anyway, nothing new happening here. I am with Sister Wilson now. She's been out for about 10 months, so it's kinda nice. We are tearing apart the ward directory. I guess you could say that is my forte, I love contacting everyone in the ward and then letting the ward know what I find. :) I don't stay in an area long enough to see any results, but I love doing it anyway. And we have been trying to get the ward council on board with the 15 names, they hardly know what to do with them! So we have been really cracking down on the ward with getting the 15 names put together in 2 weeks, I want results while I'm still here! Anyway! So ya, nothing to new. I'm still trying to find my family to baptize. :( I don't know if we have any potential families to baptize at this moment, BUT that doesn't mean I won't find them and baptize them. Heck, I could find them when I only have 2 weeks left, and they could be golden and get baptized the Saturday before I go home! How cool would that be? My last Saturday and I get my wish of baptizing a family. I have been praying (but probably not as regularly as I should) to find this family. I know that there is one out there with my name on it! But maybe I'm not supposed to be a missionary when I find this family. :( Anyway! I hope everyone is good and doing well. How are the eagle projects coming? Is everyone done? Have you found out when the court of honor is going to be? I WANT INVITATIONS TO IT! Even if I can't be there, I still want to be informed of when they are. If I don't get an invitation, I will be very mad.

Anyway, what are all your plans for the summer? I love you! Write me letters back!

Annie that sounds wonderful if you could drive me home and show off the baby and stuff. I would love going on that road trip with you! :) Helen should just come and hang out with me. But I can see why Julia would not be able to come. But if I could find a low key job out in CA then that would be fun. :)

That's cool that Lorien has a recital! She's got to be so big too! She's going to be baptized next year huh? CRAZY!!! Oh, and what you said about Christy nursing her baby along side you is so cute! She sounds really sweet. I can't wait to meet her again! She definitely won't remember me! Oh and about your hands. I bet you have ecxema. (or however you spell it) I have had a couple of companions who have that. Their hands look all blistered and they peel and are very tender. I thought about you right away. There is a lotion that you can get for ecxema, I saw it at Walgreens. And that is probably what the girls have, and when you dry out, it gets really bad. So you do good by putting lotion on your hands and stuff. I guess just keep it moisturized. :) Anyway! That's exciting about your garden, it sounds like it's doign really well. I'm so proud of you!

How heavy are you this time? I remember you got HUGE with Lorien, but I can't rememeber the other girls, probably because I didn't get to see many piuctres. Anyway! I have to go, I LOVE YOU!!!

Friday, May 27, 2011

Man that's a bummer that you can't come to Utah! BUT! I talked to dad and Brenda, and they said that I can come to CA when I get home so that I can help you with the kids and the baby! Yay! Can you work the dates out with them and Julia? I don't really know when school starts, but I was thinking of staying out there July 19 (or 20) - Aug 19. So think it over with those people and that would be great! I would love to come help you out!

So how are things going with you and your little (soon to be big - 6!!!) family? How many dresses are you making? How many sisters does Crystals fiance have? Anyway, my companion Sister Barello is getting transferred to the big city (thank goodness it's not me!) and opening it to sisters (thank goodness it's not me!). I hate being in the city and following after elders. It's the worst! But I'm staying in Bernalillo and I'm getting Sister Wilson. She's way shy, but is so cute! I think she will like Bernalillo, it has issues. :) I love it! I'm not sure what I'm going to do with myself when I get home! It's going to be weird not being a missionary. But I think coming out there will be good for me. So anyway! I love you!

Love Sister Stolp

Hey everybody, so we got transfer news, I'm staying in Bernalillo and I'm dying there! Wahoo! I love Bernalillo and there is no other place I would rather be then here to die. :) It's an awesome little town with some pretty cool people. :) My companion, Sister Barello is going to City View Ward in ABQ and is following elders in. :( That's the worst! But she is a good one, so she can do it.

Fred got the priesthood yesterday during priesthood. It was awesome! In the ordination blessing, it said that his ancestors have been praying and waiting for someone in their line to become a member of the church. And it's Fred! He can do their work for them! It's so cool! I want to come back when he goes through the temple. He is one special person. :)

I'm getting Sister Wilson, she was trained by Sister Barello. Haha! Because me and Sister Barello were companions, we connected ALL of the english sisters. It's pretty cool. We were thinking of that the other night. Anyway, Sister Wilson is kind of quiet, but she's pretty sassy when she wants to be. So I"m pretty excited about getting her. She makes my 15th companion. Man. I am sick of getting new companions! But I have learned a lot from each one of them.

Friday, May 20, 2011

Hey everybody! How's it all going? How was your week? Helen, how was your birthday? Did you do anything fun? I can't believe you're 20 now! Wow! :) When does school get out for you all? It's weird that school is getting out again! I remember last year when everyone got out, it was weird. I hope everyones school year was good!

So we had a baptism on Saturday, I forgot to tell everyone. His name is Fred Semmler and he was a famous artist in Chicago. He's like 70 years old, and is just the sweetest guy! He is gay, but he doesn't live that lifestyle anymore. Infact, he knows that marriage is between a man and woman and nothing else. He's so cool! He lives across the street from Peter and Laurie Webb, he is in the stake presidency and she is just the coolest lady! Pres Webb calls her his trophy wife, so we tease her about it. :) Fred is so cute, we went to his house a few days before his baptism and we were talking about something and then all of a sudden he was like, "how do you say your last name? My mom would have LOVED you! You're not fat, but you're...(I said plump) a nice plump german girl. Oh my mom would have loved you. She would always point out the german girls and say 'Freddy, don't you like that girl?' and his reply would be 'no mom, I like him!" HAHAHA! I just laughed and laughed and laughed! It was so funny! So I tease him about calling me a plump german girl. :) He always tries to backtrack and take it back, but I love it, it describes me. And I can't deny it! HAHA! So since he's gay, we get to hug him, and lately he has been kissing me on the cheek whenever we leave, which I think is so cute! Yesterday after his confirmation we were standing a little ways away from Fred, and I looked over at him and he puckered up his lips and gave me an air kiss. It was so funny! So I air kissed him back and then he started smootching the air! HAHAHA! It was funny! Then we were over by him later that day and he was saying something, and then he said something about marrying an angel (me), it was hilarious! Haha! He is such a cute old man. :) He makes my day.

ANyway! So it was a pretty good week.

Annie, what was the name that you were thinking about for your baby? I get home in 7 weeks, are you coming to Utah or not? I need to know!

Sunday, May 15, 2011

Hey everyone! So this week has been crazy! I remember I was going to tell you about Theresa. Ok, well she is a police officer and was in 9/11 and had to see all of that, and then she came to New Mexico, and worked in Rio Rancho area. She was mostly a school cop, like she brought in her dog and told the kids not to do drugs. So she was a pretty low key police officer. She had no real training on like combat or shoot outs or whatever. So anyway, for some reason the department put her and her partner Joe, in the Jemez (Hay-mez) mts. to try and catch a thief. They called him the cookie bandit. So anyway. They were plopped in a cabin to wait for this guy to break in, so that they could arrest him. Well, the dept. goofed up. They didnt give them a working radio, there was no back up, there was nothing. It was just them and Theresa's boyfriends (her guns). So what they didn't know was that this guy was a serrial killer too. So when he broke in to Theresa's cabin, the bandit fought Theresa and Joe for about 45 mins of hand to hand combat. Which they weren't trained for. But Theresa is a man, so they fought him off pretty well. But in the end, Joe got shot a couple of times, and was bleeding to death. The bandit shot at Theresa, but missed her 3 time at point blank. God was watching out for her! But the gun she picked up to kill the bandit with malfunctioned and didn't work! So Joe (who was dying) grabbed the gun, did something with it, and then shot the bandit dead. Then Joe died himself. Theresa suffers from survivers guilt. It is really sad, and she feels very empty and alone and that God has abandonded her. So we are helping her understand about Jesus Christ and His Atonement, and about God's love for her. It is really sad. But I love her so much! She is an amazing woman! I hope you guys meet her one day. :)

So anyway, the other day we were tracting and we knocked on the door and a girl answered. She looked kind of nervous, and we asked her if she believed in Christ, she said no she didn't think so. So there was some hesitancy, but then her grandma came home, and then she got really scared. The grandma came up and stood between us and our escape. She was a big woman, and asked us what we wanted. We told her who we were and then she said that she did not want any solicitors (I wanted to say we were not soliciting, but I couldn't open my mouth), and then she moved a little closer, and got more nasty. She asked me if I had a permit, and I looked her in the eye and I said yes. I think that might have intimidated her a little, but as we were walking away, she left the door open long enough for us to hear what she told her granddaughter. She said "I don't want you opening this door to anyone! Especially to those freakin' religious idiots!" It was so full of hate! I was so scared! Seriously, I have been at some pretty shady doors, but this was the first one where I actually felt like I was in some danger. I thougth for sure she was going to grab me and yank me across the yard into the street. Sister Barello felt the same way about her. So we think it was the spirit telling us to keep our mouths shut or else we would have gotten hurt. It was scary. But I was proud of myself for looking her in the eye and telling her, yes I have a permit to be on your doorstep telling you about Christ. And boy did she need some religion in her life! Poor old crabby lady. Anyway! That is all. I just found out like 5 mins ago that we are getting a new car!!! Wa hoo!!!! I am so excited! We have a dumpy Malibu. Anyway! I love you all! I hope you are doing great and I will see you on Mother Day! I hope that you guys can do skype. And SIster Barello said that she is going to be skyping at 5 on SUnday evening. So I will be doing the same sometime around 4 or 6pm. I love you all! Sorry that you will be having to look at me, the fat slob that I am, so make sure you have blind folds ready! :) Love you all!

Hey everyone! So I can skype for mothers day...so if you want to we can do that. I will have the member that we live with call you guys sometime on Mothers day and have her call you through the skype. So anyway! Let me know what you guys think. I guess you will have to send me a letter to let me know. So ya, Julia and Helen, you better be there so I can see your faces. :) I love you all!

Love Sister Stolp

ps. I went to a chiropractor today and I found out a lot of my problems are from me being SO out of wack! Yay! Dad, he said he would give me the name of the chiropractor in slc. He said he was really good, and it's not like one of those spiritual chiropractors. So anyway. It might help with your back again, and Nathan's too. :)

Hey everybody! So this weekend we got to listen to Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, along with Bishop Keith McMullin, and Elder Claudio Costa (the area authority for our mission). It was fantastic! Elder Cook talked to us about the Savior and the restoration. He said that it is important that we teach our less actives the importance of Joseph Smith and how is was foreordained to be a prophet. It will help them remember their own conversion. It was really cool. He said that he helped write Preach My Gospel, and that they never taught dispensations before, or Adam and Eve, but they felt very strongly that in order for people to understand the importance of Joseph Smith they needed to see the importance of the previous prophets. It was pretty cool! He talked about the Atonement, and that they felt very strongly that we needed to teach that the atonement makes up for all the unfairness of this life. Or something like that. I will have to look at PMG again. I was going to do that, but I keep forgetting! Anyway! It was cool. He also said that because of our willingness to serve missions, we will be blessed for eternity, and that everyone that we come into contact with in this life will bless them also. I never thought about it that way, that we will be blessed for eternity. It was cool!

Bishop McMullin got up and he said "Elder Cook will never say this, but I will. You are in the presence of a 12 Apostle. He is a prophet, seer, and revelator. He is a prophet." When he said those words, I knew that he was indeed an Apostle. I was thinking about his the other day, but Elder Cook is a witness of Jesus Christ, just like I am right now, I am a witness of Jesus Christ. I am not comparing myself at all with an Apostle, but it is cool that we have the same job right now. :) Elder Holland couldn't make it because he just made a 2 1/2 week trip to the middle east, and President Packer said that he wasn't going to go to ABQ, and that he needed to rest and take it easy for a bit. I guess he looked really worn out. So anyway, that's why we had Elder Cook. But did you guys know that Elder Cook and Elder Holland were mission companions? Cool huh? :) Anyway! It was a great conference! We had Bishop McMullin come to our stake conference yesterday. It was really good! He talked about Jesus Christ and the atonement. We 2 investigators to come yesterday. They are married. Their names are Doug and Theresa. I will have to tell you about Theresa sometime, her life is messed up! She has gone through A TON! It is a cool story. I will have to tell you when I have more time. Anyway! I love you! Thanks for the letters and the Easter package!

I hope the picture comes through. President and Sister Miller are standing on the righthand side of the picture. And the couple on the left is the temple president, President Shumway. Anyway! It was a great conference!

Hold the phone Annie! So Crystal is getting married! Wow! So who died of cancer? And is this guy Shawn Harmons son? I'm really confused! But I hope he's a good guy for Crystal! That's kind of weird that she's getting married. Someone else is joining the family. I think it will be weird when one of us gets married too. We are all so used to having Jimmy being the only in-law! So what are her colors, and when is she getting married? You have to remember that this is the first time I'm hearing any of this! You should start at the beginning. Anyway!

That's cool that you are fixing up the backyard and stuff! I can't wait to see it all! You are too creative for you own good. :) Anyway! I am suffering from major allergies. I have a runny nose and a cough. Blah. But I'm taking allergy pills, so I'm hoping by sometime this week I can kick it!

So the coolest thing, we live with members, but they are hippies! They are so cool! They are the Volkmans. They did a lot of hard drugs when they were younger, but then they found the gospel and changed their whole lives around! About a week after they joined the church, their daughter who was 5 was in a horrific fire that almost claimed her life, but she lived, and is now 30 years old and is going strong! But even with all the trials they faced with her and stuff, they stayed strong to their new found faith. They are awesome! They have a dog named Dylan. The #1 rule in their house is "it's Dylans fault" Hahaha! It is so funny! We have a Bro. Volkman quote wall, it's hilarious! He once gave me some ginger soda, and he said, "it will make you cough the first time you drink it" I asked why and he said "there's 12% alcohol in it" Hahaha! I laughed so hard! Their basement is totally a flashback to the '60's, they have a bunch of posters of bands and stuff like that and a bunch of...junk. But it's so fun! I wish you could meet them. :) They're awsesome!

Hey everybody! I'm doing much better emotional wise. I think I just had my mental breakdown last transfer (for reals), but I'm doing much better now. :) So we were at a referrals house yesterday, the ladies name is Barbara, and she is about 80 years old. She is so cute! Sister Barello was sitting by her (so sweet!) so that Barbara could hear the scriptures being read, and Barbara looked at Sis Barello's name and said it sounded like a song! So cute! Her name is Italian, so anyway! She looked at me and asked me my name. I said Stolp. She was like, "that doesn't sound like a song" It was sooo funny! :) Stolp is such a harsh sounding name! But oh well. I like it. :) Anyway, I don't have much time to write. But I just wanted to let you all know I'm doing well, but suffering from some major allergies, but I'm slowly getting over it.

But yes, I will call sometime after 12noon on Mother's Day. We get out at 12noon. So that will be perfect! I don't think we can do skype, but that's ok. I'm seeing you all in like 11 weeks anyway. So ya.

Annie, how are you doing? How is the pregnancy? Let me know how you are!

Hey everybody! GUESS WHAT?!?!?!??!?!?!? The general authority coming to my mission on April 23 is going to be....

ELDER HOLLAND!!!!!!!!

Crazy huh????? OH MY GOODNESS!!!! We ALL freaked out in the library just now when we read it!!!!! AHHHHH!!!!! We are all soooo excited!!! I know EVERYONE was hoping it was going to be Elder Holland, and it came true! Oh wow! :) :) :)

By the way, I'm getting transferred again, up to Bernalillo with Sister Barello. She came out last May, so she is almost as old as me here on the mission. I have been demoted back to junior companion, but I think that's only because Sister Barello has been in Bernalillo for 6-7 months, so she knows the area like the back of her hand. Which I am OK with being junior. I was a little shocked at first because I thought maybe I had done something, but I know I haven't done anything to make it a bad demotion. It's just that I think she needs it, and besides, she knows the area super well. SO anyway! I'm moving on to my 6th area and my 14th companion! Crazy! But Sister Barello is cute, I've seen her around almost my whole missions. So it will be fun to be with her. And Bernalillo is in the Rio Rancho/Santa Fe zone, so I will be able to go to Santa Fe!!!! Yay! I'm excited!

So this week has been crazy. I got the stomach flu and had a fever of about 100.2 for about a whole day. It was bad. And then I got a little bout of hives, I think I'm allergic to green chile (I had some soup with it in it.). But I'm doing ok now. I feel a ton better! The elders all came and gave me a blessing. Wow, they have seen me in my WORST! But whatever. OH! And Sister Bode is coming to take my place here with Sister Nichols. I love Sister Bode! I miss her a ton! I'm excited that she is coming to Albuquerque. We have a great district leader up here, Elder Fraughton. So anyway! It will be a fun change. I will be living with members up in Corrales, which is just a little south of Bernalillo. But you will hear more of it next week! Love you all!

Hey everybody! What is new with you all? How is the garden going? Haha! That reminds me. So the other day we did service for an investigator named Pam, and we helped her with her yard and getting all the weeds and dead things out. So as I was plucking and pulling I noticed a smell that I haven't smelled in YEARS...it was mint!!!! I was so excited to smell it again! It took me back to California and the good old days of mint taking over our yard on the side of the house. :) I was so happy! She also had a dead lilac bush that she didn't know what it was, so I told her it was lilac. I know because that was one of mommy's favorite plants. It was interesting how much I knew about plants and gardens, when I didn't know I actually knew that much! It was fun! I should be a farmer. JUST KIDDING!!!! I will not be a farmer, but I will have a garden one day. :) Anyway, it was fun. We also did service for a man who had strayed from the church for 40 years, but is now coming back to church and is getting his patriarchal blessing, and his son is a little interested in the church, so we talked to him for a bit. But anyway, we painted a shed for a neighbor of his. It was fun! Last week I got to go on exchanges with the Los Lunas sisters...I got to go back to Los Lunas with my "daughter" Sister Hiatt! I was so excited! I wasn't sure how it was going to be, especially with all that had happened there when I was there, but I wanted to go back to see if I could mend a few things in my mind. It was the best experience for me! I got to see so many people that remembered me (I haven't been there for 6 months), and love me. Imagine that. :) I got to see Miguel Flores!!! He was an investigator when I was there, he was so close to getting baptized. He was the one with the date for your birthday dad, Aug 27, but he missed it because he wouldn't listen to me or the spirit and took a job that didn't allow him to take the lessons anymore. BUT he got baptized on Oct 10!!! And I missed it! BUT he gave me a picture of his baptism, which I will cherish forever. Miguel and his fiancee Diane were married shortly after that, and they told me that they will be getting sealed in Salt Lake sometime this year or next year. I told them that I will be in SLC, and they said that they wanted me there!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm soooooooo excited for them to get sealed! It makes my heart so full to know that I could help him along that path to eternal life! :) :) :) I have a special place in my heart for Miguel and Diane. Sister Hiatt and I got to teach a few lessons together, I love her. We went and saw Danielle Hardyman, she is coming back to church and all that, and just loves the sisters! So she had gotten her recommend to go get her patriarchal blessing, but didn't have the guts to call the patriarch. So we made her call the patriarch right there on the spot. :) It was awesome! We are so evil together, but it worked! So she will be getting that within the month.

Anyway! So Annie, are you on bed bedrest or what? What is happening with that?

Hey everyone! Wow Annie, wow. I know everything will be ok because Heavenly Father told you it would be ok. Wow. That is crazy! I will be praying for you and the baby. But please keep me updated on what is going on with you and the pregnancy! Send me pictures of the girls! I can't wait to see your house! I'm sure I won't recognize it. Wow! It sounds like you guys have been busy!

Julia, I am still waiting for the letter. :) I'm so excited to get it now! Yay!

So I went to the temple yesterday, it was really really good! I definitely received some revelation for me. I will be sending a couple of journal entries to the house and Annie, and Julia so that you can all read it. But this might make more sense with the journal entries. So I learned that it is a commandment for me to be happy. Heavenly Father created this earth so that we can find happiness and joy. I mean, He even created it for the animals to find happiness and joy! So of course me. :)

I also learned that I think I'm just homesick for my heavenly home. I think I just want to be in the eternities RIGHT NOW! It's so sad to see everything in the world and all the imperfections of this life. I want to see mom again. It's been a long time since I have been able to talk to her. I think it's kind of good being away from home though because it lessens the saddness of mom being gone because all of you are gone right now! I mean I hear from you and stuff, but I don't get to see you. I think it's kind of like when I dream on mom, it's like getting a letter. Anyway, I don't know if that makes sense.

It was really sad though, at the temple there was an older lady that was working at the temple in my session. During the session, she had a bowel movement that I'm sure she couldnt' control and maybe even didn't know it was coming. But as she was walking out of the room, she looked really out of it, and just not there. So I don't think she was feeling to well. But they had to do some deep cleaning because it was really bad, so they made us all go back into the chapel to wait while they cleaned it up. It was really sad. But we heard that she was ok. They were afraid it was a mini stroke, but thankfully it wasn't.

But it was really good to be in the temple and to feel peace, and to know that Heavenly Father talks to me, and that He really does look out for me. We stayed in the Celestial Room for a good long while. I went through an inventory with Heavenly Father and told him about all the bad experiences I've had on my mission, and then I talked to Him about what I learned from them, or what I was supposed to learn from them. It was really good, I really could see the good in all of my bad experiences. I think it really helped me look on the brightside. Which reminds me, I was reading the scriptures before I left, and I was thinking about how sometimes I don't think I have any faith. But the thought came to me that I haven't lost ANY faith, I've always had faith. I just need to have a brighter outlook on my situations. I need to have HOPE! So anyway. You will understand a little bit better after you read my journal. :) I hope it doesn't get you all too depressed. But it has all of my feelings in it.

So no one ever told me if there are any young men from the ward going on missions? Did you all hear that Brieanna Thrall is going to Moscow Russia?!?!?!? COOL! I can totally see her in Russia! She is going to be a great missionary! I will be sad to have missed her by a couple of months! Helen, please call her and tell her good luck for me! I want to send her a letter, but it may not get to her in time before she heads out to the MTC.

Saturday, March 26, 2011

Hey everybody! This week Sister Nichols and I got sick with sore throats and gunk in our heads. We got blessings, and I got better, but Sister Nichols got worse. She was afraid that it was pneumonia or bronchitus (sp?). She has had a fever for a few days, and just can't seem to break it. We are waiting for permission to go to the doctor. Anyway!

What have you all been up to this week? I know dad, you asked what was up with me leaving El Paso, I don't know. But apparently I am supposed to be here in ABQ. BUT El Paso can use all the prayers it can get. Sister Bode is still down there, and I'm sure she is still struggling.

So my district is so fun! There is E. Fraughton (DL) and his comp E. Chiu, and then E. Cantey and his comp E. Castano. E. Castano reminds me of me before I left. He's really bubbly and excited all the time. I'm sorry to say that I'm not bubbly nor do I get excited easily anymore. :( I'm actually sad about that, but I've been through quit a bit that has made me more serious. I don't know, maybe when I get home I will be bubbly again. But I kind of doubt it. Oh well. Anyway! I'm just really glad that I have a good district. :)

Next week we are going to the temple! I am so excited! We have to take our concerns and stuff with us for Heavenly Father to help us. So I've been thinking about a few things to take with me. Also another cool thing is that an apostle is coming to our mission in April!!!!! We don't know who it is yet, but we have to prepare also for his coming. I'm really excited because I have so many opportunities to prepare for his coming. :)

Well, I don't know what else there is to say, this week has been kind of slow. So I hope you all are doing great!

Monday, March 21, 2011

Hey everybody! Everything is going good so far out here. I got a blessing last Monday and almost right after my lungs stopped hurting and I was able to breath. I'm not kidding when I say it was a miracle. We still had a little carbon monoxide after that in our apartment, but we were able to air it out. We had to get our water heater replaced, so that was good that they found the problem.

Sounds like everyone is doing good back home. Congrats Val! I hope that I can see you in action next year! Boys what are you up too? Any of you found jobs yet? Annie you should send me pictures of your pregnant belly. :) Hey, has Chelsea had her baby yet? How was Allens b-day party?

Things are going good. I was over 2 wards (Ladera and Volcano Cliffs) and 2 Navajo branches (Tohajiilee and Laguna Acoma), but then Volcano Cliffs split and Ladera gained some of VCliffs. VCliffs is going to a different building now, so we had to turn VCliffs over to another set of sisters that meet in that building. So it's all crazy! So now we just cover Ladera, which just got a new bishop and the ward mission leader has been out of town, so we haven't been able to utilize the ward as much as I would like too. But so far it's going, slowly but surely. There is so much work to do here in Ladera. There are 435 members, and 220 households, and 149 households without a Melchizedek Priesthood holder (!!!!!!!!!!!), and 114 single adults/ysa (only 4 come to church...)......There is so much to do. I was so shocked to see the numbers. I am hoping to get this ward more missionary minded and pumped to do the work. So far we have seen a lot of missionary minded people here, and the bishop is a convert, so I think he will help us out a TON! I'm really excited actually, but I feel like time is running out for me. I need to hurry this work along. But the ward is trying to get back on their feet from the split. So we are trying hard. We actually saw that a neighbor of ours was a member, so we decided to knock on their door to see who they were etc. So we found out that they had moved, BUT a lady lives there now and invited us in and talked to us about her family and stuff. It was reallly neat! We invited her to a RS activity tomorrow. So hopefully she will come! :) I love missionary work. I love finding new people to teach! I miss some of the other people I used to teach in my other areas. :( I actually got an email today from Angie in El Paso! I was so excited! She did start going to the spanish branch, which is much better for her, so I'm really excited that she enjoyed it. She has made a few friends. :) I LOVE Angie! I miss her a lot.

Anyway! What is this about the tsunami in Japan? Sister Nichols' mom wrote her about it. And I also heard that the middle east is in turmoil. Anyway! Just keep writing me! And thanks for the money dad and Brenda, I really appreciate it! I got the money for Valentines' day ($15) but I'm not sure if you sent me any more. I won't need any for a little bit, maybe in April I'll let you know if I need any more. Thanks a ton! Love you all!

Hey everyone...So I got transferred to ABQ, I"m back in the ABQ West stake, so I've seen a few people that I knew when I was here last. It's been a really weird week (the story of my life), we cleaned the apartment for 2 days (elders used to live there), and tried meeting our investigators. So we have been busy and sore for a few days. Um...I am going to tell you a story, but don't freak out, we are fine...sort of. So, ok, Saturday night we were getting ready for bed, and Sister Nichols was out for the most part and I was saying my prayers. After I said my prayers I felt something wrong. So I checked the doors and the windows to make sure they were locked. They were. But the feeling wouldn't go away. There was something wrong. So I thought it was just the neighbors bringing a bad spirit into the complex. So I tried not to let the feeling get to me. So I went to sleep. At about 4am the carbon monoxide detector went off about 4 times before we actually woke up. So I got up and looked at it. It said 000. I thought it must have been the batteries, so I replaced them and reset it. The dial showed up at 211. I didn't think to to much of it, because sometimes the detectors are broken. And honestly I didn't feel super bad. I felt woosy, and Sister Nichols felt sick. Which I never wake up woosy but she feels sick in the mornings all the time. So I kind of brushed it off. But I still thought it was weird that the alarm went off. And I remembered the feeling I had the night before. So we decided to leave the apartment and call 911. Which we did. The fire dept. came and checked it out, but their reader and our reader didn't pick up any monoxide. But we still felt kind of weird. So we called president and told him what had happened, and he said that we should be fine since none of the readers picked anything up. But he said that if we felt like we needed to go get tested then we should. So the fire dept. left and we decided to go to the hospital. We had been in fresh air for 2 hours now, so when they took our blood it was quit a while since we had been in the apartment. The test came back with 2.6% poison in our blood. Which is really high since it should only be 0%. It's the equivalency of smoking 1-2 packs of cigarettes a day. So we thought that when we woke up to the alarm, the poison was a lot higher, most likely in the 10%+ range where it effects the neurological area. Sister Nichols was slurring her speech once we thought about it. If we had stayed in the apartment for much longer we would have slipped into a coma and never woken up. I'm telling you, we had 2 1/2 hours left of sleep time, we would have died. I'm not kidding. But Heavenly Father gave me the warning the night before (if I hadn't gotten that warning, I probably would have said we were ok to stay there and that we didn't need to go to the hospital). And he warned Sister Nichols through the spirit that we needed to go get tested. And the alarm, come to find out, was broken. It does not read correctly. So it went off to warn us of the danger. And for some reason the fire fighters reader didn't work in there either. So we believe it was a test of faith, are we going to listen to man or the spirit? We were talking to one of the bishops out here and he said that an angel came down and pressed that button to warn us. It was probably mommy. :) She is always watching out for me. After we left the hospital we went out to the Navajo branches, wow it was awesome! I loved every minute of it! But wow, we were woosy and felt drugged (duh, we were just poisoned). So around 2ish I was getting blurred vision and we were both feeling sick. So the bishop from the other ward came and got us so that we could lay down at his house. We were not going back to our apartment to rest, that's for sure! So dad...come to find out. The bishop that we stayed with lived in Phoenix in the 80's and worked for GTE Laboratories, then it was called AG Communications Systems, but now it's closed. He said the name Stolp is not entirely unfamiliar to him. He kept thinking of you, and said that he remembers you now. His name is Marvin Distel. Then he moved to Florida after Phoenix and worked for Siemens. He was in the Boca Raton Stake and lived in Del Ray. He says he remembers you. It was kind of weird. But cool at the same time! He was so nice to us and took care of us so well. We are so grateful to him. He just got released from bishop yesterday, so that was sad. :(

Sister Nichols and I are feeling ok today. My lungs hurt, and they feel heavy, and it's hard for me to breath and get enough air. They said that fresh air and a lot of water will help get the poison out. So I'm hoping it will be soon! I hate feeling this way! My brain is not at full function either. I still feel woosy and I still feel kind of sick. Anyway! We are doing ok, and don't get freaked out. Heavenly Father is protecting us.

Well, that's all for this week! I love you all! And thanks for sending me the letters and the money! They are greatly apprectiated!

Monday, February 28, 2011

Hey everyone! It's good to hear that Allne is doing better and that he's not going to die yet. :) Well, we got transfer news this week. They are closing down Redd Ward to sisters and leaving the elders here. There is just not enough work in this area, and it's very discouraging. Oh my goodness, you have NO idea how hard we worked to get this area going, but it just didn't pick up. I really gained a testimony of church attendance. I have been here for 4 1/2 months and we hardly saw any one of our investigators come to church I now see the importance of people coming to church. I see that the work we do throughout the week is the preparation for them to come to church on Sunday. So when no one comes to church, I feel like I have failed somewhere in that week, because no one is there. :( It's really hard. I am actually really glad sisters are gone, because it was just to much out here. It was a constant battle with the elders. It was lame. Now hopefully between the 2 areas there will be enough work to keep the elders busy. I think we were supposed to come here for Angie. She is our baby. We went to say goodbye to her last night, oh my goodness, I cried after we left. She is the first one I cried over. She is so special to me, and we are like sisters. I am going to miss her and Jasmine (her 2 yr old daughter. she's the little girl in the picture). I was imagining getting off the plane and driving home with you guys, and talking to Angie on the way home. Haha! That's how much I love her! She is amazing. :)

I am going back up to Albuquerque, and doubling (meaning, the elders got booted, and we get to take over) with Sister Nichols (she's been out for 6 months) to an area that covers 2 wards (weird. total opposite of what I'm doing now), the Volcano Cliffs and Ladera wards. The area also covers 2 branchs, the Tohajilee branch and the Laguna Acoma branch. IT'S ON THE REZ!!!!! I am soooo excited to go back to the rez! But president said to mainly stay in the city, but I am allowed to go to the rez when there is work. :) :) :) YAY!!! I was so sad for like 2 days, until president called to prep me on the new area. Then I was happy! It is in my old stake, by the Bandelier ward. So I'm kinda used to the area. We'll see how it goes. But he is keeping El Paso open for english sisters, and Sister Bode is going there with her MTC comp! So cool! She's just going around the mountain. I'm glad president left sisters down here, I was scared that all the sister areas were going to be confined to ABQ. So anyway! It's good.

So this week, has just been tying up loose ends. We actually found out that they were closing to sisters earlier this week before we were supposed to find out. So it was kind of nice to have that preparation. I think we would have felt like we failed if president closed it without hinting to us. But it is good for the area to have us close.

The pictures are of this last week. The one is of a guy riding a horse pulling another one behind him. The river bed he is in is the Rio Grande. It's always dry! So it was pretty cool to see that. And then of course our district, and Jasmine, and I can't remember the other pictures I put up. Anyway!

So a couple of weeks ago, Angie had to put her dogs down because they were getting aggresive, and she's been looking at getting another dog or 2. So we went to go see Ricardo Pacheco who is a recent conver/less active who we are trying to get him to go to the singles ward, but he's so stubborn! So we went to see him, and his pitbull just had puppies, and he was trying to get rid of them. So we took one for Angie! Haha! We stuck the puppy in the back seat and drove it to her. She was thrilled! And Jasmine loved him! It was good for Angie to have a dog. They called him Oso, which is Bear in English. :) It's so cute! Jasmine says it really cute too. Jasmine is going to miss us. :(

Anyway, I don't think there is anything else. I am sad that the letter went home! But I will just get triple the info. :) Delene wrote me a letter, it was a good letter, I really needed it. It's been kind of a downer transfer. All of our investigators dropped us...it really makes you think if you are doing something wrong. I'm not really sure if I'm confident in my work anymore. I am really tired. I didn't understand what my older companions were talking about when they said that. But now I do, you are more tired emotionally and spiritually rather than physically. My emotions run pretty high on Sunday. Sunday is just not as enjoyable anymore. It's way to stressful. I am so worried about people coming to church! Last week, we were waiting for Angie, but she couldn't come (she hasn't been to church in a month or so, but she is going to start going to the spanish branch, which is closer to her, so it will be easier for her to go), oh man, Sister Bode broke down, and I was pretty close to crying myself. But we are hoping that with her going to the spanish branch she will understand more and want to go back more. She grew up with spanish religion wise, and so the words in english are a little different, and she doesn't understand all the consepts. But with her going to the branch she will be familiar with the religion words in spanish. :) We are just glad she decided this after we left. It would have been to hard if we stayed.

Well, I hope you all had a good week, keep me updated. I love you all!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Hey everybody! So how was your guys' week? I haven't gotten a letter from anyone this week, so I'm guessing the mail is behind, and we don't get mail this week because of Presidents Day. Bummer. Anyway! This week has been a big trial for us. Most all of our investigators dropped us, and no one came to church, and the one person we thought for sure was coming, didn't because of a marital crisis, and she was set up to get her patriarchal blessing last night (the HIGH LIGHT of our week!), but we went to the patriarch's house and he wasn't home, so we called and called and called him but he didn't answer. So we went to the church to see if he was there at choir practice and forgot, but he wasn't there, so someone made a few calls and found out that his mom died and that he cancelled all of his appointments but somehow our recent convert didn't get the message...so we were ticked to say the least. It was almost the breaking point for me, to say forget it! That was the icing on the cake for me, and I had about had it. BUT the lady that drove us home was so wonderful, she helped us see that there must have been a reason why this all happened. I was done seeing reasons why things happen, and it was always not what we wanted! But the recent convert said that she had been stressed about the crisis, and that she probably needed to work a few things out before she got her blessing. It was a humbling experience for me to see that yes, Heavenly Father is in charge, and that I have to slow down a bit and take the punches, and the bruises, and the scrapes (sp?), and figure out why was Heavenly Father doing this. Anyway! It really calmed us down. But it helped the recent convert to realize that she really does need to be prepared to receive her blessing. So next time, it will be an even better experience. I just hope it's soon! She needs the help and guidance from her blessing.

So how has everyone been? Transfers are coming up next week, we hear on Saturday what is going to happen. We both have been here since the end of October, so we kind of think 3 things: 1) we are both leaving 2) one of us is staying 3) they are closing the area down to sister. But we will have to wait and find out! We are both ready for a change I think. It's been a hard 3 transfers down here. But someone we are coming out one step ahead. Yay for us. Anyway! How is Allen doing? Please tell me how he is doing soon! And Dad, I talked to my Mission President, and he said that if Allen dies before I get home, then you can call me to tell me the news. So please please call my mission president to call me and tell me. I want to know as soon as you can after he passes.

How is school going for you guys? Julia what are you up too? Annie, how is the pregancy going?

If I don't hear from you guys soon then I will start to worry a lot about Allen...

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Hey everyone! So this week has been weird once again...you're all probably wondering why I put those pictures on there. We had a snowstorm last week, it snowed like 1/2 inch, and got down to a breaking record of 9 degrees. They started calling it the blizzard of 2011. Everything froze, the pipes, the pools, everything. So they cancelled school for like 4 days, and everyones pipes broke. El Paso never gets cold, so when they built these houses, they only put the pipes under 3ft. rather than 6ft. So they all froze. In our shower the water came out brown, and wouldn't drain. So we thought there was a pipe break in our shower. The plummer said there was ice in our pipe, and he had to replace it before it burst and caused more damage. So that was the exciting business for us. There were some people here who were out of water for 4 days or more. And the electricity was turned off for a while all over the city (rolling black outs), because there are 4 generators in El Paso, and 2 of them were down because of the storm. So they had to conserve energy. Weird. Then the resevoirs were almost depleted because of all the water leaks, so they told everyone not to shower or wash clothes/dishes/cars/etc...So it was pretty gross. But we survived. They told us we could start using the water yesterday. Yay for showers! It was crazy I'm telling you. Everyone was in a panic. It made me think of the second coming. No one is going to be prepared for what is going to happen. I mean, El Paso wasn't even prepared for a little frost...The schools still don't have water, so they told the kids to bring their own water bottle because there is no water to drink. But ya, it's crazy. I wrote Julia a letter, so it might have more detail, so you will have to share info Julia when you get my letter. :)

Yesterday we got dropped by one of our investigators (he's catholic). We were teaching the plan of salvation, and he agreed for the first half of it (you really can't argue that one), then we got into death and that's where he started having his fit. He couldn't get past the fact that EVERYONE has a second chance. He believes that if you sell yourself to the devil you go straight to Hell. There are no detours to the spirit world for them. They have to second chance. We told him that it was part of the plan and that we all go there no matter what. He said that that would be forcing them to go somewhere that they don't want to go. He said that those people who sell themselves to the devil WANT to be with Satan and that they don't want to be there. He would not listen to us at all. We asked him to think of those people who are not mentally capable of thinking clearly. People who are bi-polar or have other mental disabilities. He would not listen to that at all. He was so dead set on people not being given a second chance. It was the weirdest lesson. But he has been trying to get rid of us for a few weeks I think. He told us that that lesson was the end, we could not agree on doctrine, and so we needed to leave. He pretty much kicked us out the door. It was so rude! His wife is a less active member, and boy, we think she felt really bad. I think she was going to cry. Sister Bode and I were not surprised by what he did. He's not very emotional that way, and I don't think he liked us anyway. He really didn't want to listen, he wanted to argue our religion. So we are not broken hearted over what happened. And we are so used to people dropping us and being against us that we really don't care. We are here to find the elect, and he was not the elect. So we are just moving onward and upward! There was something not right with him either, I always felt a little uneasy around him. So it's probably a good thing that he gave us the boot. :)

What are all of you guys up too? How is the weather up there? I heard that you didn't get it at all. But who knows? I haven't seen Utah to know. What's going on with the ward? Anything new? How is your health Brenda?

Friday, February 4, 2011

Hey everyone! So this week has been really slow, and not as busy as it was last week. But it was ok. We are glad it's Monday! Yay! So last week, we were in an appointment with a less active lady whose husband was offended a while ago, but her son wants to get baptized. So anyway, we were at their house giving a lesson. So while we were there, not 2 mins later, the elders knocked on the door, and they were with a member. Sister Bode and I were SHOCKED, but that is an understatement. Man, we were livid! We had been fighting the ward for so long telling them that we can NOT go into each others areas for anything. Period. So when the elders showed up, we were furious! We were having a really bad day as it was, our ride was a flake, so we had to go up there on our miles that we didn't have, it was bad. So anyway! It was just a bad day. That was the icing on the cake. And I think if it was anything else, I would have blown up anyway. It's just that the elders had to suffer my wrath. I thought that they were there because it was either the elders or the ward saying "oh the sisters don't know what they are doing and they are just sisters, so the priesthood needs to go contact these people because we have the priesthood. Let's not ask the sisters (since it's their area) about any of these people. We have the priesthood so we can do and go wherever we want. Who cares if they know the whole story about these people." Yada yada yada. I was ticked! That pushed me over the edge. And NO ONE taked to us about what they had planned on doing. So I gave the elders a good tongue lashing. I don't think they like us much anymore, but oh well. They can't go into our area. Period. But the next morning I apologized to the elders for yelling at them, I know that I could have talked about it a little more calmly. But man, I was ticked! And it was the WRONG night to do what they did. So anyway....we have things figured out, and they aren't going to do that anymore. So yesterday we talked to the bishop and he agreed that if we are going to go into each others areas, we better have a good enough reason to call president about it. Later that night (last night) we went to see a man that we haven't taught yet, we didn't know much about him, and he lived out in the country a bit. (they are just bigger lots) So we took a lady from our ward with us, and she is a very smart lady. The appointment went well we thought, until we got back to the church to pick up our car. She asked us why we were going out there at night without a priesthood holder. We told her that as long as there's 3 women then we are fine. And she said no, we aren't fine. She was very apprehensive about that appointment. There was a semi truck parked infront of his house, and his house was very shady. He lied about other people in the house (he said there wasn't anyone home but him, but in reality his son was home), he took us into the back living room instead of the front one by the door. And he didn't turn on any lights except the room that we were in and the light in the stairway. And that was it. The lady from the ward said that everything that could have gone wrong went wrong. BUT we were not harmed, so I bet angels were protecting us. And I know that angels are all around us as we travel and teach. She told us that we need to be smart about tracting, if we see nice shiny cars in the driveway of a trailer, DO NOT KNOCK ON THE DOOR. They are apart of the cartel. She told us a bunch of other stuff, so we are taking more precaution and texting a member everytime we have an appointment or when we are going to tract, to let them know where we are and how long we have been in the appointment/tracting. That way incase we get kidnapped or shot they will know where to start looking for us. Don't worry though, angels do protect us, and I had a blessing from the bishop at the start of the transfer and in the blessing he told me to be wise and to be careful, and that I need to be smart about things, and we will be protected. So I don't know if all of this is connected, but if it is, I'm not taking any chances, and Sister Bode and I both agree that this is what we need to do. And we are going to drop a few people...and there are to many signs that one of our investigtors could be with the cartel. The first thing we talked about with her on her doorstep was Juarez, because she is from there. We asked about the saftey of those people, etc. But we are afraid that these people will start to think that we know too much and that's why they keep us coming back. To keep tabs on us. But they aren't really interested anyway, so there is no need for us to go back. And one of our investigators is a target for the cartel. Her husband was supposedly a cop over there, and the cartel has threatened him not to go over the border. So we think their house is watched and we might be possibly watched for knowing these people. So...and they aren't going anywhere with the gospel, and the spirit just isn't there when we teach. So we have to be very careful whose house we go into. Sister Bode brought up a good point also, is when we are in their house teaching, there is no stopping them from coming in and shooting up the house. So we decided it's just better not to go back to some of these houses. But we've been here for 3 months already and nothing has happened, so I think we are ok right now. We just have to be smart about El Paso. Anyway! We were thinking it might be safer for us to switch areas with the elders, give them the rural stuff and we take the city. A lot of people that we have talked too agrees with us. So we will see what happens. There are a lot more stories from this week, but I will write them in my journal read it when I get home. :) It was an interesting week. Anyway! Be smart, be safe! Love you all!

Hey everyone! Annie, I'm so glad that you didn't leave me out! Was that your way of telling people you were pregnant? I was freaking out because I thought I missed something. Sheesh! That's cool that you're due in August! Maybe you will have the baby RIGHT after I get home! That would be cool. :) I really want to come help you this summer with the girls, but I really need a job, so we will see what happens and what feels right. Anyway! UGH. I don't want to go back to school so quickly! I want to take some online classes, but I don't know what that will benefit me. I have a hard time retaining information, but if it's in front of me then I can remember. I have to rely on my companions to remember little details about when people are going to be home, etc... It could be that I just deal with a lot of people, but I think my brain is losing it's function. My companion even said I should get my memory checked out because it's so bad. But here's the thing. I remember people that we meet and where we met them and where they live and their name and their situation. Whereas my companions never remember. So I don't know. I think I just struggle with nitpicky stuff. But what should I do? It's very frustrating for me. But people say that online classes are not very helpful. Ask Jimmy about online classes, please? But if I do online classes I could stay with you for a couple of months to help you (I know Jimmy will go crazy with me living with you guys! Hahaha!), and then I could come home and be with the boys and Val for a while. I don't know! I just want to spend time with you guys! Oh well. Heavenly Father will let me know what to do. I don't really want to take it to Him just yet because it's not the right time to be thinking of school and all that. I need to focus on my mission. Which speaking of my mission. :) This week we had so many lessons! Our mission weekly goal is 20 lessons a week, and this is the first time I have reached that in a LOOONG time! It was amazing! I think it was because we had such a bad week last week and were feeling extremely discouraged, that Heavenly Father helped us get these lessons so that we can feel like we are successful. Which was very much needed! We have been feeling like failures for a few weeks now, especially last week. We thought for sure they were going to close this area down to sisters, or just let the elders take over the whole ward. That was our fear, but Heavenly Father knew we needed this week and He didn't close the area down AND we both stayed another transfer. We have been teaching this one lady, Melinda, for several weeks now. Her husband, Leonides, is extremely less active and will not come to church (most likely he was offended, and also, he doesn't speak english, so it makes it hard in an english ward). So anyway. Melinda has been dealing with a lot of health problems and a lot of stress from other things. Her husband is internally bleeding and hasn't been able to see a doctor yet, and she has a cyst, and her son, Leo, has a heart murmur and he's struggling in school with his reading. And this has all happened in the last week. So we saw her on Tuesday, and took her to Sister Richardsons house (RS Pres) for a lesson. We were reading a conference talk with her on how to listen to the Holy Ghost. So anyway, at Sister Richardsons, Melinda broke down. All she could see what blackness and no way out. She was so overwhelmed with everything, and she was so frustrated and angry. Her mom also passed away 2 1/2 years ago, and she can't seem to find closure. It was so sad to see her like this. Usually Melinda is smiling and happy, but definitely not that day. So we talked to her, I'm not sure how much that helped. BUT Sister Richardson has 8 kids, and she is one of the most relaxed ladies I have ever met, she is so calm and peaceful and you feel very comfortable in her presence. So that is what Melinda saw and felt. I'm not sure what she heard of the talk that gave her comfort, but it was seeing Sister Richardson so cool and collected. That really touched her. So the next day we went by Melinda's to see how she was doing, and she could not stop saying how impressed she was with Sister Richardson and how calm she was. Melinda really wanted that calmness and that peace in her life. We kept telling her that it was the spirit and the knowledge of the gospel that gives us that peace. And that she too can have that peace in her life through baptism to receive the Holy Ghost. We asked her to come to church, because that is where she can feel the spirit, and she can see better how the gospel effects our lives. So we went back everyday this week to help her and see how she was doing. She actually started doing better throughout the week, and got out of her funk. BUT she didn't come to church. No one came to church. We were so discouraged! We worked so hard this week to get out investigators to church, especially Melinda! And then didn't come. But I have faith that if we keep trying and doing what we know is right, then Heavenly Father will bless us one day and our investigators will come to church. I have been here for 3 months, but I feel like I have only been here a week! There is so much for me to do down here! I really want to finish my mission here. I have so much love for this area! I love the people here! I really don't want to leave, EVER! I will be a missionary here forever. :) Anyway! That is my letter this week. I'll probably finish the letter that I'm writing home and send it sometime. But don't wait for it. :) I love you all!